| Widescreen Monitors of Computex |
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Last week, I took the opportunity to visit Computex in Taiwan for the first time in this site's short history. I was there for one thing, and one thing only - Widescreen monitors. We're used to seeing the headline-making monitors up to 30" large, but believe me, there are some interesting monitors coming out lately! New technologies, new connectors, super high contrasts, and super fast panels - there was a lot to see, and I'm glad I made the trip! I also checked out the smaller halls to see what the local Taiwanese companies were coming out with on the budget side of things. BenQ Benq was the first booth I visited, and one of the more prominent booths in the halls. As soon as I was greeted, I told them what I wanted to see - widescreen LCD monitors, and nothing else. They had some interesting things to see. BENQ FP92W Since it was being demoed playing games, the BENQ FP92W 19" was the first one to catch my eyes. And rightfully slow - it is using the fastest panel I've ever seen on a widescreen - 5 ms! The rest of the specs look good too, with a 1440x900 resolution, 700:1 contrast ratio, and 300 cd/m2 brightness level. Of course, it supports DVI input. BENQ FP202W, BENQ FP202WZ We actually already have the FP202W listed in our Widescreen Monitor Database - it sports the specs you'd expect from a 20.1" monitor - 1680x1050 resolution, 800:1 contrast ratio, 350 cd/m2 brightness, and an 8ms response time. What really caught my eye though, was the BENQ FP202WZ - it's the same monitor for the most part, but using AMA2 technology, scrolling images look a LOT smoother. They had both monitors on display beside each other, and the difference was immediately noticable. It seems to interpolate the motion very effectively. Whether it degrades quality, I'll have to take a closer look some time. BENQ FP241W Now this 24" beauty is going to catch your attention if you are a home theatre desktop freak - 1000:1 ratio? Yeah. HDMI input? Oh yeah. 1920x1200 resolution? YES! Full 1080p TRUE HD SUPPORT! Sorry, I'll calm down now. Brightness is decent, at 300 cd/m2. With a on/off response time of 16 ms, this may be more suitable for movies than it is for games. The grey-to-grey response time (which most manufacturers prefer to use) is 6 ms. Acer Acer had plenty of widescreen monitors on display, but not much was realy groundbreaking. However there were a couple of note: ACER AL2216W Benq had a nice fast 5ms 19" widescreen, but Acer is one-upping them with a 20" that is just as fast! The AL2216W also sports a 700:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m2 brightness level, and 170/160 viewing angle. They also have a 19" with 5ms, and a 24" with 6 ms grey-to-grey and a sweet 1000:1 contrast ratio! Taiwanese Brands I ventured deep into to the bowels of Hall 3 & 4 in search of some local brands you may not hear of everyday, but may have something for those looking to get into widescreen gaming on a budget. Chi Mei had several monitors on display - I didn't expect the same type of panels I've seen from Acer and BenQ, but man was I surprized when I saw this! Chi Mei CMV221D
The Chi Mei CMV221D sports a 700:1 contrast ratio, 350 cd/m2 brightness, and get this - a 5 ms pixel response time. Gamers on a budget keep an eye on this one! Chi Mei CMV938D The Chi Mei CMV938D should be available for under $200, and sports the following specs: 600:1 contrast, 330 cd/m2 brightness, and 8 ms response time. I wandered around some more, and finally ran into another company, CTX. They didn't seem interested that gamers on a budget might be interested, and I think I found the definition of "scoffed" when I suggested that I'd like to see how their monitor compares to their competitors under detailed scrutiny. Nonetheless, in fairness I'll tell you about the one widescreen display they were showing: CTX W1961A
The 19" W1916A features a 700:1 contrast ratio and 300 cd/m2 brightness level. Response time looks impressive on paper, at 5 ms. Now I'm really interested to see how this performs in games! Keep in mind that they only offer a 1 year warranty on the backlight, and 2 on the parts (Acer and BenQ and pretty much everyone else offer 3 years of full coverage). Well that about does it for our Computex coverage this year. I really think that 2006 is the year widescreen will truly shine! (and you wondered why I started this site?). Be sure to keep visiting this site for news on the newest widescreen LCD displays!
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